Amateur photographer's bad online experience with a NYC camera shop

Thomas Hawk, a dedicated amateur photographer, thought he was getting a good deal on a Canon EOS 5D camera when he ordered it online for $3000. But Hawk says the owner "went ballistic" when hawk refused to buy a bunch of accessories, and that the owner refused to sell him the camera as promised.

Alex Ravenel says: "[Hawk's] post is currently in the 'Popular' list on del.icio.us, has hundreds of comments, and upwards of 4300 Diggs. The scammer has been reported to the NYAG office and the BBB, negative feedback has been listed on every review site the author could find, and the the scammer's office has been flooded with phonecalls and emails."

"I will make sure you will never be able to place an order on the internet again." "I'm an attorney, I will sue you." "I will call the CEO of your company and play him the tape of this phone call." "I'm going to call your local police and have two officers come over and arrest you." "You'd better get this through your thick skull." "You have no idea who you are dealing with."

These are all direct threats that I received today from an individual who identified himself as Steve Phillips, the manager of PriceRitePhoto in Brooklyn, New York when I called to inquire about my order with them. My crime? Telling him that I planned to write an article about my unfortunate experience with his company regarding the camera order I had placed with him yesterday.